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DUE TO PRE-ELECTION SCHEDULING DEMANDS, JB REGRETS HE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO REPORT ON COUNCIL MEETINGS...PLEASE ASK A FRIEND, OR TUNE-IN TO CHANNEL 55 REPLAYS. COMPLETE COPIES OF COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE AT CITY HALL FOR FREE, IF YOU BRING A BLANK DVD. OTHERWISE, DVD COPIES ARE $10.00 EACH. 

***********************************************************************AS AS OF THE FEBRUARY 4, COUNCIL MEETING, THANKS TO CONCERNED RESIDENT MR. LEON KARP, WE NOW HAVE A NEW MICROPHONE AT THE PODIUM FOR ORAL COMMUNICATIONS! NO MORE DROP-OUTS!!!

Best wishes to the Tai Chi group which meets every morning...I pray you secure a suitable space. It's always inspiring to know that citizens will make their case known at council meetings if circumstances require such action.

TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: GOOD LUCK! I HOPE YOU BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS. HOW ABOUT TWO? I MEANT IT WHEN I SAID AT THE COUNCIL MEETING THAT WE SHOULD JUST GIVE YOU A CHUNK OF CHANGE NOW AND SEND YOU ON YOUR WAY FOREVER, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT, SADLY,  THE COUNCIL COULD ALWAYS CHANGE ITS MIND AND DECIDE TO JUST GIVE YOU MORE. THE CITY SHOULD NOT SUPPORT YOU...THIS IS NOT A SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT, IS IT? C'MON GUYS, PLEASE GET IT TOGETHER. YOU ARE OUR BUSINESS LEADERS. IF YOU CAN'T RAISE FUNDS WHO CAN?  STOP ASKING US FOR MONEY, PLEASE! IF ANYTHING, YOU SHOULD BE DONATING MONEY TO THE CITY AND IT'S SERVICE CLUBS WITHOUT TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES. THANK YOU, AND GOOD LUCK....NOW GET LOST.

On January 22, J. B. responded...

"The public is fed-up with being disregarded by some of the bureaucrats, and feeling like they're being treated like rubes. I was surprised to see that Betty Tom Chu and Luis Estrada were passing out photos they took of me while I was trying to file my nominating papers on December 5th. As Betty put it, my constitutional rights were violated. I was livid when that happened. I lost it. I was so pissed-off. Thankfully, someone appealed to the City Attorney and he ordered the City Clerk to roll-up the counter gate and allow the office to accept the papers, pending qualification.

    J. B. at the City Clerk's Counter on Friday, December 5th, 2008

"...Frankly, on a personal level, I  like the City Clerk and his staff. I truly believe that he is a good and decent person. I just think he's become a little too darn comfortable with the way things are..."

For those who don't know the details, I got to the Clerk's desk 2-3 minutes before the cutoff time. I came as soon as I got off work in Norwalk. I even called ahead and asked them to please not close early. I was told that I would have no problem, so long as I was there before 5:30. When I approached the counter, after greeting nearby Rita Miller, Luis Estrada and Betty Tom Chu, either the City Clerk or another member of his staff,  was busy checking-in incumbent Martinez who later confessed to me that she herself arrived just 5 mins. before the cutoff.

I stood beside Sharon Martinez and waited my turn...One minute before the cutoff time of 5:30 PM, the Clerk approached me and said, "You're too late!" He time stamped a piece of paper to show me that the clock read 5:30. I then pulled out my Sprint cellphone, (which runs a bit fast), and showed him that it was only 5:29, and on top of it, the two other clocks in City Hall, including the wall clock in the Clerk's office, read 5:27 or 5:28. He asserted that all of the City Hall clocks are wrong and that the only one he goes by, is his timeclock.

I exclaimed that not only are the City Hall clocks slow, but his official timeclock is fast. And even if it was on time, (which it wasn't), the official instructions state I must arrive NO LATER THAN 5:30 PM. Because the timestamp does not display seconds, the City Attorney was forced to accept my papers. The fact that I arrived before the cutoff, and the fact that I had to wait, while the incumbent checked-in, is reason enough to check me in without incident.

It really seemed like I got a first-hand dose of just how impropriety can make it's way to even the most well-liked and fine upstanding employees. Frankly, on a personal level, I  like the City Clerk and his staff. I truly believe that he is a good and decent person. I just think he's become a little too darn comfortablre with the way things are. I guess I can't really blame him. It's human nature to want to stay within your comfort level, and when you've been elected to the same position for decades, working with the same people, day in and day out for years and years and years, subconsciously, or consciously, you may not want someone new in City Hall, especially someone like me, who doesn't tolerate seemingly blatant nonsense.

At the December Council Meeting, I equated it to 'family'. You don't want a stranger worming their way into your family. If the City Employees and Elected Officials wish to think of themselves as 'family', then perhaps they should think of themselves as one big 'foster family', 'cause people in foster families come and go....at the December meeting, Rita Miller stated that she doesn't believe that the city is dishonest. I agree with that;  by in large, I believe our staff is comprised of courteous, good-hearted people, who are mostly  honest. And truth be told, I don't really know if the Clerk intended any disre-spect towards me, but at the time, it sure felt like it.

I'm still not sure exactly why I was originally denied my right to file my nominating papers. Maybe the Clerk didn't notice me at the counter. It seemed extremely suspect at the time. Perhaps the fact that Sharon Martinez also came in at the last minute, consumed their attention. I don't see how a guy with crutches could not be easily noticed, but it's no longer an issue. Since Mrs. Chu and Mr. Estrada brought it up at the January Council Meeting, I feel it necessary to respond.

At the December Meeting I brought up the fact that I had to go through that crap     and I believe the citizens know that other 'shenanigans' does exist, like the fact that incumbent Martinez was allowed to have her Candidate's Statement accepted, without filing the mandatory form. She told me that she is not very computer literate. Although she had months to figure out how to properly set her margins on a Word Document, in order to fill-out the required form in the necessary format, in accordance with guide-lines which she herself signed into law on October 1st, 2008, appearantly the City Clerk bent the rules and took pity on her.

Is that because she is an advertiser in his private publictaion? Is it because she is like family to the staff? Why the heck do the rules not apply to her? Is it because she has a gorgeous smile? it's a puzzlement....whatever. THAT is an example of low-level shenanigans and I think if the general public knew about it, the city staff would feel quite embarrassed. I didn't wish to make a federal case out of it. Perhaps it's for the best for Sharon to have her statement printed afterall; that way the public can read just how corny it is.

I was unaware of Betty Tom Chu's and Luis Estrada's choice to publicize what happened to me. But, since they own the photos, and since they were witness to the incident, it's their right to print and distribute photos they took of me to remind people how screwed-up things are.

PER MY REQUEST, MRS. CHU AND MR. ESTRADA WERE KIND ENOUGH TO EMAIL TO ME COPIES OF THOSE PHOTOS. (JBA: 1/27/09)

Even though there were no Agenda Items I wished to address at the Jaanuary 21st meeting, I am sorry I didn't get the chance to meet some new faces that I had not seen before on Channel 55, like Mr. Bruce Cohen who spoke about vandalized cat traps, which were intended to trap cats in order to spay and neuter them to control the population before releasing them back into the wild, and Mr. Ed Grego who addressed the Coucil regarding some disturbing traffic issues.

Mr. Leon Karp brought down the house with offering to donate money to replace the micrphone which always cuts-out, perhaps due to the use of an audio 'compressor' or 'noise gate' which may be patched into the system. Or maybe it's just a crappy connection caused by stressed wires or a faulty solder. Of course, dedicated resident Mr. Sarkis Antonian was there, this time to follow-up on his traffic safety concerns.

I am pleased that more people are coming to the meetings. Two Council Members were absent 'cause they went to D. C. to see Obama get sworn in. I believe more people will continue to come to the meetings...even after the Municipal Election. I don't think it's because I've been, or the Mayor's been urging people to...I think it's just a time in history when the citizens know that things wont get better without making the effort. Hats-off to everyone who took the time to come to the Council Meeting. Thank you. 

I'll leave you all with my alternate lyrics to 'Pop Goes The Weasel'...Ready? Okay:"

(The downbeat is underlined)

Incumbents did not want a new voice,

Some had dirty ha-ands,

But J. B.'s here and now is the time,

to STAMP Out Shenanigans!

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Remember, all City Council Meetings are open to the public and it is our right to

share our opinions with our elected officials. J. B. urges you all to let your voices be

heard, (even if you're shy or fear that your view may not be shared by most), be fair

to yourself! J. B. says, "I disagre with the City Manager's comment to me last Spring,

that watching an entire City Council Meeting on Channel 55 is 'boring' and viewing

the reruns over and over is 'such a waste of time'.'"  Please don't ever feel dicouraged

or powerless, my friends. Remember: you are in charge of your city; there is no Batman

or Wonder Woman to make things right. There's no superhero who can help us out.

Or Is There?

Sometimes very serious situations are more palatable with the infusion of humor.

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